Michael Jackson • Thriller (The Song)</em> </strong>

Thriller is a single by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released as a single on January 23, 1984 as the seventh and final single from Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller. Thriller (the song) is a blended mixture of disco and funk. The song was produced by Quincy Jones and was written by Rod Temperton who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson's love of films. The music and lyrics evoke horror films with sound effects such as thunder, footsteps and wind. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by classic horror movie actor Vincent Price.

According to vox.com, Thriller (the song), as a single, started out as something of an afterthought. While Epic Records was certainly thrilled with the landmark success of Thriller (the album) after the hit singles Billie Jean and Beat It were released, the label viewed the album’s title track as something of a novelty and had no plans to release it as a single.

It wasn’t until the album started to fall on the charts in 1983, months after its November 1982 release, that promoter Frank DiLeo assuaged Jackson’s angst over declining sales by encouraging him to make a third video to join the other two. Thriller was considered an easy lift due to the content. “All you’ve got to do is dance, sing, and make it scary,” DiLeo recalled saying to Jackson in a 2010 Vanity Fair profile of Jackson and the film.”

At the time he was making Thriller, Jackson was a devout Jehovah’s Witness, who would carry books about his and other religions around with him on set. After production wrapped on Thriller, as explained by his longtime lawyer John Branca, Jackson started to panic because members of his church had told him the song promoted demonology.

Afraid the church was going to excommunicate him, Jackson begged Landis to have the film destroyed. Instead, Branca convinced him to include a disclaimer at the beginning of the film to distance it from his own personal beliefs. “Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult,” the title card read. Which is what happened. If you watch the attached “long version” of the video below, you will see the disclaimer.

Nancy Griffin of Vanity Fair writes, “But if anything, the extended life that Thriller and Thriller, (the single and the album) have had all over the world suggests that we’re still capable of being brought together and feeling that collective sense of exhilaration. And while it’s true that our interest in Thriller peaks annually on Halloween, it’s really just an excuse to celebrate a love that flows year-round. After all, for fans of the King of Pop, every night is a Thriller night.”

While estimates vary, Thriller, the album, is said to have sold at least 66 million copies globally, according to the Guinness World Records, while others have claimed the album has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Record keeping varies from country to country. Thriller, the single, sold almost 10 million copies, and the video for the song, cost $900,000.00!

Here’s hoping that you enjoy a fun and safe Halloween. Hope it’s a real Thriller!

Attached below are Thriller playlists and videos:

Thriller (the Song) on Spotify

Thriller (the Song)

Thriller (the Album) on Spotify

Thriller (the Album)